The Best Time to Visit Hawaiʻi
May sits outside the wet season, hurricane season and big winter surf; January to March is whale peak. Each island's weather, and the 2026 storms, dated.
Hawaiʻi has two seasons, not four. The National Weather Service calls May to October summer and October to April winter, and winter brings the heavy rain. Hurricane season runs from June through November, and the big north-shore surf from November to April. Lay those calendars side by side and May is the one month outside all of them. For humpback whales, come between January and March, the peak of a season NOAA puts at November to April.
If whales are the reason for the trip, the least expensive whale boat among the tours listed here is Quicksilver Charters’ two-hour trip on a double-deck power catamaran from Māʻalaea Harbor on Maui: from $50 as of October 2026, rated 4.6 from 1,091 reviews. The first date on its calendar is 23 November 2026, eight days before the 1 December start its own listing gives, and the listing runs the season to 30 April. Hydrophones let you hear the whales sing and there are restrooms on board. There is no hotel pickup; you park at Maui Harbor Shops, at your own cost.
Month by month
| Months | Weather | Ocean | Also |
|---|---|---|---|
| January to March | Winter rains; February and March are the coolest months | Big surf on north- and west-facing shores; sea about 73 to 74°F by late February | Humpback peak |
| April | Last month of the wet season | North-shore surf season still on | Whales past their peak |
| May | Summer begins | North shores flat to small | Before hurricane season; whales gone by early May |
| June and July | Summer | South-shore surf season, usually topping out at 10 to 15 ft | Hurricane season from 1 June |
| August and September | The warmest months | Sea near its warmest, about 80°F by late September | Hurricane season; the 2026 hurricanes hit in these months |
| October | Winter rains begin | Sea still about 80°F early in the month | Hurricane season |
| November and December | Winter | North-shore surf season from November; high surf peaks December to February | Whales arrive; hurricane season ends 30 November |
Weather and sea temperatures from the National Weather Service in Honolulu; surf seasons from the state Ocean Safety program and the weather service; whales from NOAA.
Island by island
Where you stay can matter more than the month. Across the islands the trade winds blow from the northeast, so windward coasts and slopes catch the cloud and rain, while, in the weather service’s words, “leeward areas, where the air descends, tend to be sunny and dry”.
| Island | What changes with the season | Early October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Oʻahu | North Shore swells are huge and dangerous from November to April and flat to small from May to October (state Ocean Safety). | Kaʻena Point’s Keawaʻula Trail is closed |
| Maui | Kīhei is “the sunniest, driest end of the island” (HTA). Haleakalā’s summit is “regularly wet, windy, and below freezing” before dawn (NPS). Whale boats run in winter. | State parks open except Polipoli; the Hāna Highway is open with daytime lane closures |
| Hawaiʻi Island (Big Island) | Hilo’s airport averages 120.39 in of rain a year, Kona’s 9.87 in. Kona’s upland coffee belt is the one area in the state that gets more rain in summer than in other seasons. Maunakea’s summit can carry snow in winter. | Kīlauea has not fountained since 25 August; state parks open except part of the ʻAkaka Falls trail, Lapakahi and the Waialea section of Hāpuna |
| Kauaʻi | Līhuʻe’s airport averages 36.22 in a year, and Waiʻaleʻale is one of the rainiest places in Hawaiʻi and on Earth. One Hanalei operator runs Nā Pali snorkel trips from March to October and moves to Kekaha when winter swells build. | After Hurricane Lowell, every state park closed except part of Wailua River; air tours flying on limited schedules |
| Lānaʻi | Hulopoʻe is best for swimming in summer, with more surf and current in winter; southern (kona) storms bring dangerous swells to Mānele and Hulopoʻe. | Ferry from Māʻalaea running three round trips a day |
| Molokaʻi | Pāpōhaku Beach is hazardous in fall and winter, and no Molokaʻi beach has lifeguards. | State parks open; Pālāʻau reopened 30 July |
The Big Island alone spans four of the world’s five major climate groups, so a dry Kona beach day and a cool, wet volcano summit at 4,091 feet can fall on the same trip. And the wettest spot in the University of Hawaiʻi’s rainfall atlas is not on Kauaʻi at all: it is near Big Bog, on Haleakalā’s windward slope on Maui, at about 404 inches a year.
Whale season
NOAA says humpbacks are generally seen around the islands from November through April, with the peak from January through March, and sightings fade until the season ends in early May. Operators’ own dates vary. Quicksilver’s listing gives 1 December to 30 April, while Sail Maui’s Molokini sail says December to May, so plan by NOAA’s months. Boats, swimmers and drones must stay at least 100 yards from a humpback, and aircraft 1,000 feet.
Quicksilver’s boat leaves from Māʻalaea Harbor, and maui-whale-season.com goes further into Maui’s season, from shore viewpoints to the boats at each harbor.
Hurricane season, and 2026
The Central Pacific hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, and the basin sees four or five tropical cyclones in an average year. In May, NOAA gave 2026 a 70% chance of an above-normal season, and 2026 has been a heavy storm season. Hurricane Lala brought flooding, landslides and outages statewide in mid-August, worst in the Kaʻū district of the Big Island. Hurricane Lowell hit Kauaʻi and Niʻihau on 7 and 8 September. Nolo, in late September, closed state parks on the Big Island, Maui and Molokaʻi as a precaution. Earlier, two Kona-low storms in March closed Haleakalā National Park for a time.
As of early October 2026, Kauaʻi is where the storms still shape a visit. Every Kauaʻi state park except part of Wailua River is closed, among them Hāʻena with the Kalalau Trail, Waimea Canyon, Kōkeʻe, whose road is shut, and Polihale. The Hāʻena shuttle is suspended, Port Allen harbor was damaged, and Holo Holo Charters cancelled all tours through 10 October; helicopters and air tours are flying on limited schedules. Before planning a day, read the State Parks notices and check the tour’s own calendar, which shows the dates actually on sale.
Timing questions people ask
What is the rainiest month in Hawaiʻi?
No official source names one for the whole state. The weather service says the heaviest rain comes with winter storms between October and April, and the side of the island counts for more than the month: Hilo’s airport gets about twelve times the rain of Kona’s.
What months should you avoid?
No official source tells visitors to avoid a month. June to November is hurricane season, as 2026 showed. From November to April high surf hits north- and west-facing shores, and the weather service counts high surf as the leading cause of weather-related deaths in Hawaiʻi. The state’s ocean safety program tells inexperienced swimmers and surfers to stay out when the surf is high.
What is the best month to go to Maui?
For whales, January to March. For a dry beach day, Kīhei on the sunny southwest shore. Haleakalā’s summit is regularly below freezing before dawn, and a sunrise visit needs a $1 reservation on top of the $30 park entrance fee per car.
What is the cheapest month to visit Hawaiʻi?
No official source names one, and the hotel figures we use are annual, not monthly. Lonely Planet’s budget guide (updated 25 August 2026) says early and late spring and fall are cheaper. The bigger saving is usually the island: the cheapest Hawaiian island compares their hotel rates.
For getting between islands, see island hopping; for calm water and age limits, the best island for families.
Sources: the National Weather Service in Honolulu, NOAA, the state Ocean Safety program, NCEI climate normals, the UH Rainfall Atlas, DLNR, NPS, USGS and HTA; tour details from the listings. Checked October 2026.
Book the Māʻalaea Whale-Watching Catamaran
Quicksilver Charters' two-hour whale trip leaves Māʻalaea Harbor on a double-deck power catamaran, with hydrophones to hear the whales and restrooms on board. Its calendar opens on 23 November 2026, and the listing gives the season as 1 December to 30 April. No hotel pickup, and parking at Maui Harbor Shops is extra. Free cancellation up to 2 days before.
Check Whale-Season Dates